This story has been updated with additional comments from the Lhota campaign.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A light-hearted comment from Joe Lhota at a campaign
appearance led to a Twitter slam from John Catsimatidis.

It started when Lhota was asked how important Staten Island
would be to his bid for the GOP nomination for mayor -- and in the general
election, should he make it there.

"The question should be how important is Staten Island going to
be for me when I'm mayor: Very important," Lhota said during his appearance at the Great Kills Friendship Club. "We need to make sure that Staten
Island feels that they're an equal borough with all the other boroughs -- in
fact, I'm going to go one step further. It's my favorite borough."

Lhota promised those at the Great Kills Friendship Club that he'd give Staten Islanders "everything they need
to survive here." Still, he wasn't about to settle down in the borough of parks
-- something his old boss Rudy Giuliani promised to do when he retires.

"No," Lhota said. "I'm going to move to Gracie Mansion."

Twitter wasn't the only place the mayoral hopefuls exchanged
barbs yesterday.

Catsimatidis attended a Port Authority Police Officer softball
game held annually in memory those officers killed in the Sept. 11, 2001
attacks. It was a visit intended in part to highlight Lhota's flub from May in which Lhota called Port Authority
officers "mall cops."

"I have received the support some of the Port Authority police
because they believe I was sincere in my apology. That's all I can say," Lhota
said. "If the man wants to take advantage for all the wrong reasons, we should be
talking about the future of the city of New York."

He also responded to Catsimatidis' calling him "temperamental" in
an interview with the Advance.

"I'm not sure what he means by being too temperamental. I think I've
got the right attitude, the right approach to be the leader of the city of New
York," he said. "He keeps making these unfounded statements. I'm just not sure
what he means."